Category: Weekly Writing Prompt

I smooth the frizz out of my hair after blow-drying and apply some mascara and lip-gloss. It’s the first day of senior year and I know most of the girls in my class probably have had their outfits planned for weeks. Not me, I would rather be comfortable then cute in my faded blue t-shirt and jeans. I look in the mirror, expecting to look different. Like being a senior magically transformed me over night. I don’t look different. I still have the same amount of freckles, if not more, covering my nose and cheeks. My thick brown hair falls straight over my shoulders and the same faded, too small for my face; green eyes stare back at me. I Jane Marie Atchison am still the same plane Jane that I was last year.

Above is the first paragraph of a story I am in the process of writing. There is a certain kind of pressure when writing. Even if no one will ever read the words written. You always desire for your writing to be good, coherent and relateable. Usually one writes what one knows and therefore, whether intentional or not, little bits and pieces of your soul splatter through your words like rain drops, slipping into the cracks on the pages. That is why this particular writing prompt caught my attention. Why do we write only to never finish? Is it because we think we aren’t good enough? Is it simply a case of writer’s block? Or is it bigger then that? When we write we become vulnerable even if the story is fiction. These words are from my brain, my imagination and I am putting them out there for anyone to see and judge. It’s scary. Maybe that’s why we write but don’t finish.

What is the best thing about being either single, or partnered (whichever you are right now)?

For me the best thing about being partnered is knowing I have a teammate in this game called life. Someone I can trust and count on to lend support when I need it. Someone who I know is invested just as much as I am and is working with me to achieve the same goal. Not really the most romantic answer but it’s true. If you would have asked me this question a few months ago I would’ve probably had a different answer. Recently I discovered something about myself and my marriage. You know that famous movie line from Jerry Maguire.. no, not “Show me the money”. The other famous line, “you complete me.” Yeah, I have decided I really dislike that line. Don’t get me wrong, its a great movie moment and I used to totally swoon over those words… until I got married.

However, the more I am married the more I realize my husband does not complete me, and it’s unfair for me to put that expectation on him. If I were to do so, I feel I would be setting him up for failure. Here’s what I mean by that. In the past when I was feeling sad or lonely I would look to him to fix it. But that never really worked and then I found myself just frustrated with him. Poor guy. Then finally it hit me. It’s not his job to fix those things for me and I needed to stop looking to him to fill those voids. I needed to make an adjustment. I need to take my husband out of the role of “void filler” (that’s not really a thing but.. you know what I mean) and rather see him as my teammate. I can honestly say it’s been awesome! Since I am the same for him I started to think of qualities that make a great teammate.

They put the team before themselves

They are reliable and committed

They treat others with respect

They lend support when needed

They cheer their other teammates on

They listen and encourage

They communicate constructively

They work with others to problem solve

They celebrate the victories

They work on bettering themselves for the benefit of the team

Hahaha wow this turned really self-help like. I promise I am not trying to write a book or anything ;). Just thought I would share some of the things Ive been pondering lately.

I would love to hear your response to the writing prompt. What is the best thing about being either single, or partnered (whichever you are right now)?

I think the better question is “When was the last time someone truly heard you?” People listen to me everyday and I am sure others could say the same. As a mother my children listen to me (hopefully). As a wife my husband listens to me and I to him. Listening can be rather easy. Hearing is different. To me, hearing means understanding and maybe even connecting on an emotional level. For example, sometimes when I am in an argument with my husband it is hard for me to feel validated unless I feel I’ve been heard. Otherwise I feel as though the words I’ve spoken have meant nothing. I believe that is why you meet people who can talk & talk, have a huge circle of friends and still feel utterly alone. Or why couples who have been married for 20 years can be strangers to each other. We can listen all day but are we really hearing?

To the single mom constantly complaining about how her deadbeat ex won’t help and how frustrating it is to do everything by herself. To some it can be seen as just that, complaining, you can nod and say “I am sorry he won’t help”. Or what she might really need to hear is “Yeah raising kids is already so hard when both parents are involved, I can’t imagine doing it by yourself. I hope you know you are doing a really great job and if you need any help at all please call me.”

Honestly I don’t remember the last time I was truly heard. It was more then likely by my husband and probably after an argument. And I I know there have been times where I have felt heard by one of my friends. But it does feel few and far between sometimes. Is this because we have become way to consumed with our own lives that we forget about what others might be going through. We merely listen, maybe give an appropriate response and then move on? I’m guilty. Maybe now that I’ve dwelt on it I can change that.

Hi. I know It’s been like over a year since I posted here… *laughs awkwardly*. Please excuse my absence. When I first started blogging I had grand dreams of thousands of readers and yada yada yada. Don’t worry I have come to my senses. I decided I want to blog because I just want to write. I love writing and a blog is a wonderful creative outlet. So to my “64” followers. Hi! I hope your still out there. I hope you will continue to read this little blog of mine, but if not, that’s okay.

As far as content it is still a lifestyle blog and I will continue to post about various things that interest me. With that said, and like I stated above, I love writing. So I have decided to add a new category to my blog; Weekly Writing Prompts. These will be varied and I will try to post one a week. Most of these are meant to be one paragraph prompts and I would love, if you’re interested, for you to join me! Feel free to post your response in the comments below. We can be inspired together! Below is the first one.

Write about your first day at your current job:

It was a perfect day in April. Some time around noon, I think? My brain was kind of fuzzy. You see the pain was extremely overwhelming. I barely had the strength to keep going. Two hours in and I wanted to quit already, but there was no going back. I could here Brandon counting to ten slowly in the background, I took one more deep breath. With everything I had, I tried one more time. There was so much pain, then finally, the sweetest relief as everything faded to black. I thought to myself, will this be worth it? But then they placed you in my arms. Perfectly round and sweet. With ten little fingers and ten little toes and the sweetest little nose. Instantly pain and struggle was forgotten and I knew. I would love this job forever.